6 Ways to Add Personality into Your Design

Who doesn’t want a house that makes you grin every time you walk inside? I mean, that is why we decorate isn’t it? Where to begin can be a daunting task. Especially if you live inside a beige box with no direction. Never fear friends, I am here today with 6 tips for incorporating YOUR personality into your home design. We are going to get this thing figured out one room at a time!

Personalities like people are all different. Lets take my girl The Nester for example. Her house is EXACTLY like her personality. Uplifting and inspiring, calm, warm, and happy.

Tip 1: Decide what feeling you want to feel, and want others to feel when they walk into the space.

This is always my jumping off point when designing a room. So to delve into this feeling business a little more, by feeling I don’t mean “I want it to feel Shabby Chic.” No. When you are outside on the first day of spring do you feel Shabby Chic?

By feeling I mean, “I want my house to feel happy and light and airy, like the first day of spring.” (Obvs this is sort of like 4th grade English class where you have to reword sentences but just go with it.)

My house feels energetic and interesting and fearless. Everything that I bought, thrifted, picked up on the side of the road, needed to feel a combo of these things for it to make the cut.

Tip 2: Take a personality test.

Literally. See what descriptive words pop out to you. (Those will probably be the ones that you are like HECK YES I am like that!!) Use those words alongside your design feeling. If your design has your personality strengths in it then you will feel right at home. And the good news? I don’t think its PC for a personality test to say “Wow. You are like a boring beige box that sucks the creativity out of everyone you love.” so there are no excuses for that to be happening if your house.

Tip 3: Get on Pinterest.

I know what you are thinking…”Mandi, this is not the 14th century, I am on Pinterest. That is most of my problem.” Here is what the game plan. Give yourself a set time limit to pin ONLY things that make your guts grin for a specific room. Create 3 categories: Don’t hate, Like, and Kill Me Right Now Because I Will Die Without This, (or something along those lines) and group accordingly. Pinning recipes, 3 minute workout routines, anything hilarious with a black and white sketch (I am looking at you e-cards), craftiness that doesn’t have anything to do with the room design…(you get where I am going right?) is not allowed. Only stuff that you love for the room into those specific categories. Look past just the people that you follow. Search ideas that you might already have a crush on. Expand your circle of influence.

Tip 4: Get OFF Pinterest.

Once your time is up, you are done. Now go do something mindless. (My house is free for cleaning if anyone works best while scrubbing!) Think about the things that you pinned. What are the things that stand out in your mind? Surely you cant recall every pin, which ones are the most memorable (in a good way)? How do they make you feel? The same way you want your room to feel? If your answer is yes then we are off to a good start.

Tip 5: Don’t ask everyone for their opinion.

We are all entitled to one, but to be honest do you really want your sister in laws thoughts on if you should use a certain paint color? Find a handful, and by handful I mean 2 people that get you, that get how you want your house to look, and that have a style that is their own. But always remember, your opinion should count for 75% of the vote.

Tip 6: Trial and error.

Sometimes things just don’t work out to look the way they did in our minds. Its ok. Its all part of the process. If you find yourself hitting a creative slump I have a few tips on how to work through it, but the most important part is to not give up.

I have a secret for you. Its just a house. And while the design of it is not going to save someone’s life literally, it can save your life figuratively. The spaces we create affect our mood and the moods of everyone who enters it. THAT is why you should decorate for you, not for anyone else.

2 Comments

Um, YES! That’s the first thing you should do when decorating (or redecorating)! So many people forget this and it’s so importat. What do you want the room to feel like. That one question saves me from decor ADD and gets me through Ikea’s labyrinth without buying random things because I think they’re cool. Great point Mandi.

Love this post, love your living room, super love the pink antlers………..I feel a lot of love in this room. Thanks for the tips…..gonna head back to the drawing bo….I mean Pintrest and start deleting the randomess.

Mandi Gubler is a DIY/Shelter Blogger known for her fearless approach to all things Do It Yourself. She is a self proclaimed thrift store junkie, craigslist stalker (not the killing kind) and garage sale maven. Mandi started her blog Vintage Revivals in July 2010 with zero DIY/Design experience. She apparently had a hidden talent that once released, not only changed her life but inspires millions. Mandi's approach to design is simple. She believes that true style has the chance to emerge when you stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, will think, or might say, and do what makes your guts grin.